Rieley, to all intents and purposes, quit as manager when he moved to the Netherlands. Trying to run the band long distance from Amsterdam was always an untenable proposition.

Carl functionally quit as the band's producer. After 'Holland', he -- apparently willingly -- left the producing duties in the hands of Brian, Al, or Bruce. In the 2 years between 'Surf's Up' and 'Holland' Carl wrote one song, and there would be another 6 years after that before another Carl song appeared on record. Carl, post-Holland, could have maintained creative leadership of the band (at least in Brian's absence), but for some reason he shied away from the responsibility.

Dennis was Dennis. A talented though erratic screw-up.

None of these situations were because of Mike's ego, or because Mike was making a power play.

Rieley, to all intents and purposes, quit as manager when he moved to the Netherlands. Trying to run the band long distance from Amsterdam was always an untenable proposition.

Carl functionally quit as the band's producer. After 'Holland', he -- apparently willingly -- left the producing duties in the hands of Brian, Al, or Bruce. In the 2 years between 'Surf's Up' and 'Holland' Carl wrote one song, and there would be another 6 years after that before another Carl song appeared on record. Carl, post-Holland, could have maintained creative leadership of the band (at least in Brian's absence), but for some reason he shied away from the responsibility.

Dennis was Dennis. A talented though erratic screw-up.

None of these situations were because of Mike's ego, or because Mike was making a power play.

When you say "Carl wrote one song" during a time period, how do you know this? How do we know there weren't more songs he wrote but didn't release, due to any number of reasons which *could* include wanting to avoid band politics? (Not saying I know this for sure either, but I don't believe you have any sort of info to back up your theory which seems to be stated as fact).

With regards to implying that Mike's ego/power play caused nobody to throw in the towel or reduce their goals creatively: it cannot be properly quantified how much a band member who is potentially doing all sorts of ego-driven passive aggressive stuff could potentially cause their bandmates/manager to quash creative goals/desires in order to avoid conflict, especially if those bandmates were children of abuse (who perhaps didn't know how to communicate in the most direct of ways). Logic would point to a yes answer, with some nuance and certainly lots of unknowns. To assume the answer is "obviously" and outright "no" would probably be a statement that no person would make who had ever themselves been in a band with a narcissistic bandmate who would stop at nothing to attain their eventual goal of full control of the band.

Anybody who says "I am The Beach Boys" - especially at that point in time where other members were creatively flowering in the band, and contributing greatly - is clearly coming from a narcissistic and toxic mindset, and I'd like to know how that was a perfectly benign statement for Mike to have made? That seems to be your implication.

Someone who'd have made such a statement at such a point in time would not exactly have caused people who disagreed (like Rieley) to *want* to stick around, nor would bandmates want to continuously deal with conflict with such a man-child, because they'd have been in for a fight, either a longterm passive aggressive campaign (Mike from the mid '70s to today), or some direct confrontational sh*t (tarmac incident).

Yes there's lots of nuance involved, yes, things aren't all Mike's fault, but his ego and power play nonsense were absolutely some big contributing factors to all sorts of creative decay and assorted awfulness. It's interesting how people are very quick to understand/accept the idea that perhaps Brian's substance abuse was probably exacerbated by wanting to self-medicate from dealing with Murry, and Denny's was probably exacerbated by wanting to self-medicate from dealing with Murry and the Manson fallout, but it's somehow impossible for some people to think that Mike's longterm behavior - which involved quashing those guys' creative/emotional outlets in some fashion, however unintended that may have been - could have also contributed. Not quite sure how that logic works. Hell, if I was a bandmate with Mike (and related to him too), I'd probably also self-medicate! Bottom line is that Mike's ego was and will always be a problem with regards to this band in ways that are unquantifiable.

As far as Lee’s and OSD’s recollections of the shows from the period vs. the recollections of Custom Machine and others, isn’t it possible that the Boys’ then-current music went over better in markets where there was exposure for their recent music? If 8 remember an older OSD post, I seem to recall him telling a great story about being at the comeback show at Carnegie Hall. Remember that Pete Fornatale was a champion of The Beach Boys who continued to play their music on FM radio. Maybe the NYC audience had a better idea of what to expect from the 1971 Beach Boys than audiences in other towns where they didn’t get FM airplay.

I understand and respect what you're saying Jon, as you literally wrote the book on the subject - and I'm not trying to counter or minimize what you say either. It was just surprising to hear what other fans who attended these shows at this time had to say about their own experiences, and recollections about the crowd behaviors which were not as blatant as I think some have suggested. I also think there were regional sensibilities at play, where perhaps some areas the band played had more receptive and respectful crowds overall than others. But the recollections do add a wider perspective to the topic, as in people relating that what they experienced was not what others experienced.

Yes - That is what I also said and suggested in my reply to Jon's post. In bold. Suggesting that there were regional sensibilities at play in the level of crowd reactions. The popularity of bands, singles, and music in general could change dramatically based on the region and market, and this was a factor in rock music from the 50's until perhaps the late 80's or so. The Beach Boys had top 5 hits in certain markets while in others the records basically stalled or didn't make a dent on the charts. Sometimes history records those records as failures because of national chart performance, while in some markets a certain station or DJ/personality would spin the same record into a top 5 hit.

Same with concerts.

I'm just saying this for the record, again addressing the "unfortunate" tag my earlier posts received where clearly my posts were not read or something. Anyway, back to the discussion.

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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson

Rieley, to all intents and purposes, quit as manager when he moved to the Netherlands. Trying to run the band long distance from Amsterdam was always an untenable proposition.

Carl functionally quit as the band's producer. After 'Holland', he -- apparently willingly -- left the producing duties in the hands of Brian, Al, or Bruce. In the 2 years between 'Surf's Up' and 'Holland' Carl wrote one song, and there would be another 6 years after that before another Carl song appeared on record. Carl, post-Holland, could have maintained creative leadership of the band (at least in Brian's absence), but for some reason he shied away from the responsibility.

Dennis was Dennis. A talented though erratic screw-up.

None of these situations were because of Mike's ego, or because Mike was making a power play.

It's entirely possible that all of those situations were at least in part because of Mike's ego and/or power play. One's desire to manage a band could be influenced by one or more members of that band being difficult to work with. One's desire to produce and submit songs to a band could be influenced by one or more members of his band being difficult to work with. One's essence as a talented though erratic screw-up could be (negatively) influenced by one or more members of his band being difficult to work with.

A more functional relationship might have led Rieley to a different decision; Carl to a different level of confidence or willingness to participate and even lead; and Dennis to hold his sh*t together and more fully participate in the band as a dependable member.

As long as we're speculating, let's at least speculate from all reasonably believable perspectives.

Rieley, to all intents and purposes, quit as manager when he moved to the Netherlands. Trying to run the band long distance from Amsterdam was always an untenable proposition.

Carl functionally quit as the band's producer. After 'Holland', he -- apparently willingly -- left the producing duties in the hands of Brian, Al, or Bruce. In the 2 years between 'Surf's Up' and 'Holland' Carl wrote one song, and there would be another 6 years after that before another Carl song appeared on record. Carl, post-Holland, could have maintained creative leadership of the band (at least in Brian's absence), but for some reason he shied away from the responsibility.

Dennis was Dennis. A talented though erratic screw-up.

None of these situations were because of Mike's ego, or because Mike was making a power play.

When you say "Carl wrote one song" during a time period, how do you know this? How do we know there weren't more songs he wrote but didn't release, due to any number of reasons which *could* include wanting to avoid band politics? (Not saying I know this for sure either, but I don't believe you have any sort of info to back up your theory which seems to be stated as fact).

With regards to implying that Mike's ego/power play caused nobody to throw in the towel or reduce their goals creatively: it cannot be properly quantified how much a band member who is potentially doing all sorts of ego-driven passive aggressive stuff could potentially cause their bandmates/manager to quash creative goals/desires in order to avoid conflict, especially if those bandmates were children of abuse (who perhaps didn't know how to communicate in the most direct of ways). Logic would point to a yes answer, with some nuance and certainly lots of unknowns. To assume the answer is "obviously" and outright "no" would probably be a statement that no person would make who had ever themselves been in a band with a narcissistic bandmate who would stop at nothing to attain their eventual goal of full control of the band.

Anybody who says "I am The Beach Boys" - especially at that point in time where other members were creatively flowering in the band, and contributing greatly - is clearly coming from a narcissistic and toxic mindset, and I'd like to know how that was a perfectly benign statement for Mike to have made? That seems to be your implication.

Someone who'd have made such a statement at such a point in time would not exactly have caused people who disagreed (like Rieley) to *want* to stick around, nor would bandmates want to continuously deal with conflict with such a man-child, because they'd have been in for a fight, either a longterm passive aggressive campaign (Mike from the mid '70s to today), or some direct confrontational sh*t (tarmac incident).

Good post and thoughts, CD. As you said, if you have a band member who wrote in his book how much of a "team player" he was thanks to his days running track in high school, and building up teammates instead of knocking them down, then you hear of that same "teammate" declaring "I AM the Beach Boys" in 1971...that's a setup for conflict and confrontation. And look at how history played out.

Addressing the issue of Carl's lack or writing and production duties after Rieley left...Jack addressed this in this reply:

you wish someone would do today what i did and change things forthem. kewl. i haven't a clue what they are currently doing on stage.i dropped the string-o-hits bullshit in favor of a 2-hour concertthat included the then-current songs, stretched-out lesser-knownjewels, etc. in that period i had them save the surfing schtick forthe encores.

You ask...

> I'm curious - I don't know much about your involvement with the> BB's (except that you were, what, a manager, for them in the early> 70'?), but I know that some of their most-respected work> (Sunflower, Surf's Up, Holland) were created while you were> around.... Have they asked you, ever, to come back...? Why did you> leave, or were you asked to leave? (Okay, all, now I'm showing my> ignorance...).

My only involvement with Sunflower was as a consumer. Pleased youlike Surf's Up and Holland. I tried to leave the group when Hollandwas finished, because I chose not to return to the U.S. -- wantedinstead to live in The Netherlands. They insisted I should run thingsfrom Amsterdam, a ridiculous pseudo-solution because of the distanceinvolved and the day-to-day need for up-close interaction with BW, CWand DW. When Carl ran into domestic tumult and I wasn't around, hefelt let down. I did return on several quick occasions at the requestof Brian, Carl and Dennis. Also came back to help the family uponMurry's death (wow, that was a weird week). Eventually it becameclear to them that I had lost interest in being zookeeper.

You asked as well why I have gave interviews for the books about thegroup. It was partly because of an overdose of confidentiality I felttoward them for a long, long time. Living in Europe, as I did until 2years ago, also gave me a healthy dose of disdain for thebreathless-supermarket-style of writing that passes as research andjournalism here. From what I have been told, the true story of Brian,Carl and Dennis Wilson and those other guys has certainly not beenwritten yet.

- Jack<<<<

It seems Carl was having issues, in Jack's term "domestic tumult", which may have been an issue in why he didn't get his songs out there - Not saying he didn't write altogether. The Wilsons asked Jack to come back, which he did a few times. Fill in the spaces on what was going on in those cases, apart from when Murry died, and factor whatever those issues were into the mix. But they wouldn't have called Jack to return if it wasn't something bigger than a normal problem popping up.

Beyond that into speculation...Jack encouraged Carl to write. He wanted Carl to pursue what Jack thought was an untapped talent and resource for the band. Jack had Carl's back in that regard, and perhaps as an "outsider" Jack's encouragement was enough to inspire Carl and give him confidence to express himself in original music.

Keep in mind...Brian Wilson needed and fed off of that exact same encouragement. He needed people to react to what he was writing, he loved getting smiles and good feedback in return, and it inspired him to push and write more. That's fact...all eras of BW composition, he fed off of positive reactions and encouragement.

Dennis did as well. He liked to get reactions to his music, and especially when it made people happy.

What I'm suggesting is perhaps without Jack, Carl's encouragement wasn't there and he was stuck in the period when other factors (some concerning the name Love) came into the power structure, and in a few years after Rieley's departure all attention turned to trying to get *Brian* to write again, in sufficient enough numbers of songs for the band's albums. Maybe Carl felt he lost his biggest supporter and collaborator, and with Mike and his brothers in the mix, plus attention on "Brian's Back", Carl said screw it...I'll go back to taking care of the live stuff. Let them write for the band.

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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson

I personally don’t take Jacks word as gospel . Just because he said Mike said something doesn’t mean it happened that way . Jack always had a penchant for exaggerating beginning with his resume. Jack did a lot of good things for the BB but as a manager he exaggerated the divisions too making them worse . Bruce and Jack never got along and Jack makes Bruce out to be way more involved in leading the band because it fits his narrative . He isn’t quite on the level of sainthood . He was writing those posts 23 years after leaving the band even the best memories fail after that long especially for specifics .

Revisiting the earlier comments about the Wilsons being pushed more to the fore during the Rieley era, and questions if that were the case, just look at the writing credits on Surf's Up-Carl And The Passions-Holland. Mike is listed as co-writer on 7 tracks across those three albums. One of those was a lyrical rewrite of Leiber and Stoller. They were spreading out the writing duties and it shows just by reading the credits and noting who was writing the tunes during this time.

What I'm also seeing is that under Jack's plans and management, in the US market the band managed to score a top 30 album (SU), a top 40 album (Holland) and a top 50 album (CATP) in succession. Higher charting performances in the UK. This was a band who didn't hit the charts that high with an album since 1967. Jack also got them back on the radio. Not major #1 hits, but again better than they had done for several years. The live shows were rebuilding an audience and building new ones for the band. Read Dennis' comments, in 1976 they back up what Jack said about the touring building the foundation in his 90's posts to the mailing list.

In other words what Jack was doing was working, or it worked. You can't rebuild something overnight. But they were working hard at it and actually making the plans work.

Some of the revisionism comes in where Endless Summer is concerned, so far as where that concept started and who started it, thus who takes credit for it. Ultimately the band's old label wanted to do Greatest Hits part 3 to sell records, and couldn't even be bothered to find the right masters to press the albums. But it worked, like a fluke. People bought music from the previous decade because they liked it and it sounded fucking great to their ears. And the country was on a nostalgia kick, thanks also in part to George Lucas who prominently used several BB's classics which turned up on Endless Summer in his blockbuster American Graffitti.

As was said, 15BO sort of ended the deal as we know it. "Brian's Back" and eventually Landy and the Loves were key players in the game. But anyone trying to diminish Rieley's efforts or successes when his plans were taking hold and actually working...I'd suggest rereading some of the history and facts and seeing how and where Jack did positive, successful things for a band who was running on fumes and couldn't buy respect or sales in the US just prior to Jack coming on board.

Jack changed the direction of the band and built up what the band would comfortably ride on for the next few years, for that he deserves credit.

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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson

I personally don’t take Jacks word as gospel . Just because he said Mike said something doesn’t mean it happened that way . Jack always had a penchant for exaggerating beginning with his resume. Jack did a lot of good things for the BB but as a manager he exaggerated the divisions too making them worse . Bruce and Jack never got along and Jack makes Bruce out to be way more involved in leading the band because it fits his narrative . He isn’t quite on the level of sainthood . He was writing those posts 23 years after leaving the band even the best memories fail after that long especially for specifics .

Would it be "bashing" if I or others similarly said we don't take Mike's word as gospel, because Mike had a similar penchant for exaggerating things to suit his own narrative or needs?

It's good to get all perspectives. In this case, Jack Rieley was there and reported what he saw and did. If exaggerating things is a standard to use to dismiss or diminish what he said, I'd say such a standard could and should be applied to things Mike has said as well.

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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson

As far as Lee’s and OSD’s recollections of the shows from the period vs. the recollections of Custom Machine and others, isn’t it possible that the Boys’ then-current music went over better in markets where there was exposure for their recent music? If 8 remember an older OSD post, I seem to recall him telling a great story about being at the comeback show at Carnegie Hall. Remember that Pete Fornatale was a champion of The Beach Boys who continued to play their music on FM radio. Maybe the NYC audience had a better idea of what to expect from the 1971 Beach Boys than audiences in other towns where they didn’t get FM airplay.

Exactly, PB. Surf's Up and, yes, Sunflower had decent exposure on FM progressive radio. WMMR in Philly loved them. The jocks were music junkies and understood the importance of the band, especially Ed Sciaky (rip). Ed was a friend who made sure I got to see the boys (among other groups) whenever they were in town and actually got to even party with them a few times. Man, what a great time to be alive. The 1971 Carnegie appearance was otherworldly in it's appreciation of the band. Very few, if any catcalls, thunderous applause for the new material as well as the old. With the combination of the FM stations up and down the east coast playing their newer material and their well rehearsed shows, they could do no wrong with the exception of letting Jack eventually slip away.

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myKe luHv, the most hated, embarrassing clown the world of music has ever witnessed.

As far as Lee’s and OSD’s recollections of the shows from the period vs. the recollections of Custom Machine and others, isn’t it possible that the Boys’ then-current music went over better in markets where there was exposure for their recent music? If 8 remember an older OSD post, I seem to recall him telling a great story about being at the comeback show at Carnegie Hall. Remember that Pete Fornatale was a champion of The Beach Boys who continued to play their music on FM radio. Maybe the NYC audience had a better idea of what to expect from the 1971 Beach Boys than audiences in other towns where they didn’t get FM airplay.

Exactly, PB. Surf's Up and, yes, Sunflower had decent exposure on FM progressive radio. WMMR in Philly loved them. The jocks were music junkies and understood the importance of the band, especially Ed Sciaky (rip). Ed was a friend who made sure I got to see the boys (among other groups) whenever they were in town and actually got to even party with them a few times. Man, what a great time to be alive. The 1971 Carnegie appearance was otherworldly in it's appreciation of the band. Very few, if any catcalls, thunderous applause for the new material as well as the old. With the combination of the FM stations up and down the east coast playing their newer material and their well rehearsed shows, they could do no wrong with the exception of letting Jack eventually slip away.

Wow! Thank you for that post. Ed Sciaky...made my night reading this. Seriously, thank you. I'm smiling ear to ear and also digging out some pretty amazing audio from the dusty ol' collection.

I'll just say what OSD writes about WMMR and Philly radio, and Ed Sciaky...It's the good stuff. The really good stuff.

Some of what shapes my opinions on the Rieley era and the music/shows and what spoiled me on how good radio can be was growing up listening to Philly radio.

Without derailing too much, I'll say I grew up a little too late for Ed's original runs on powerhouse FM stations 'MMR and 'IOQ...but my formative music listening years when I really dove in headfirst included Ed's run on 94 WYSP. Ed's show "The Sunday Night Alternative". Free-form, intelligent, solid radio on Sunday nights.

For those who don't know, Ed is one of those DJ's responsible for breaking Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen among others nationwide. Ed loved their earliest releases and would play them, talk them up, and promote them - Ed had the clout as a top FM host to where others would listen to him and his recommendations. This is why Philly is still one of Billy Joel's hottest areas to play in terms of fans. Ed was spinning Captain Jack, and that song is still bigger here than in most markets.

Look up the famous photo of Bowie and Springsteen...Bowie was a Sigma Sound and wanted to play his version of one of Bruce's tunes...anyway, read it online, it's a famous photo from '74 before Bruce really broke out nationwide with Born To Run. He was still playing college gigs.

Back to the music...I know, because I have it in my files (and it's available elsewhere) some tapes of WMMR playing "Take A Load Off Your Feet" when the SU album was new. They played the Big Sur live version of WIBN just before that. Other broadcasts of WMMR feature deep cuts like "Cool Cool Water"...Yes, Virginia, those songs were played on FM radio and fans in Philly were into that period of the Beach Boys. It wasn't all shouting for oldies and heckling the band.

For fans of the bootlegs, dig out the April 1980 KTSA show at The Spectrum taped off the air from Philly's WIOQ...the conversation near the end is Ed Sciaky and Michael Tozzi. So fans have heard Ed if they've heard that boot.

Random memory...Unless my memory is that bad, I was listening to Ed Sciaky's WYSP show on my Sony Walkman on a Sunday night when the word came in that Freddie Mercury had passed away. Naturally the rest of the show was Queen...and it was heartbreaking and beautiful, and the perfect show and station to be listening to when that happened.

I wish I had experienced Ed and WMMR back in the day...only thing to do is listen to whatever tapes exist and get to taste a piece of just how fucking good it was.

Thanks again for an awesome memory. The Beach Boys did indeed have a very loyal and respectful audience in Philly, and a lot was thanks to legendary DJ's and hosts like Sciaky, Tearson, Dye, etc.

Me right now listening to old WMMR tapes...

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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson

Micheal Tozzi was a class act for sure. He was not only a good friend but a real tie die in the wool Beach Boy fanatic. We had some great times together. No one could match Ed's mellifluous delivery but Toz came closer than anyone else. I got to know him while he was at 'IOQ. He religiously played a BB cut on every damn one of his shows. I remember calling him once to see what track he played when I couldn't listen. He and Dennis became quite close and, according to Micheal, when Dennis played Philly, they'd get together. Micheal was a drummer and Dennis would actually ask him how his performance was that night (sounds like Brian, huh?). Mike would not pander to him and he'd give it to him straight, good or not so good and Denny took it in stride. I'll never forget when Micheal called me about Dennis passing away. As time went on, Micheal bought a Subway franchise in Upper Darby, Pa. and I became his biggest customer with him preparing meals for my customers. After that venture, he went to WJJZ Smooth Jazz. I always ragged on him and dared him to lock the studio door and play Pet Sounds but he did have a family to feed. What a great guy indeed.

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myKe luHv, the most hated, embarrassing clown the world of music has ever witnessed.

Micheal Tozzi was a class act for sure. He was not only a good friend but a real tie die in the wool Beach Boy fanatic. We had some great times together. No one could match Ed's mellifluous delivery but Toz came closer than anyone else. I got to know him while he was at 'IOQ. He religiously played a BB cut on every damn one of his shows. I remember calling him once to see what track he played when I couldn't listen. He and Dennis became quite close and, according to Micheal, when Dennis played Philly, they'd get together. Micheal was a drummer and Dennis would actually ask him how his performance was that night (sounds like Brian, huh?). Mike would not pander to him and he'd give it to him straight, good or not so good and Denny took it in stride. I'll never forget when Micheal called me about Dennis passing away. As time went on, Micheal bought a Subway franchise in Upper Darby, Pa. and I became his biggest customer with him preparing meals for my customers. After that venture, he went to WJJZ Smooth Jazz. I always ragged on him and dared him to lock the studio door and play Pet Sounds but he did have a family to feed. What a great guy indeed.

Absolutely fantastic! Wow. I'm loving hearing all of this. Too young to be there and hear these radio legends in their prime, this is awesome hearing about them.

WJJZ? Wow, haha. I remember that station. I was riding home from the Philly airport late one night and the driver had it on and was grooving to it...a "smooth" version of Take Five. I was speechless

The Pet Sounds dare - classic! He should have done it!

Reminds me of a truly great Philly radio moment. Courtesy Ed Sciaky on a Sunday night on WYSP. I know it happened because I taped it and still have the full cassette.

Ed previewed his show earlier by saying he would be playing music from the legendary "lost" Beach Boys "Smile" album on his show. Holy sh*t, I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to work or do anything that night, and made sure I had a blank cassette and my FM antenna set up just right on my receiver. Made sure I was home that night.

Sure enough, Ed briefly talked it up on the show, and he didn't just play a few tracks. Ed played almost an hour of Smile music. No commercials. No commentary. No station ID's or bumpers. Just track after track of Brian's Smile music, uninterrupted.

I remember laying in front of the speakers completely amazed. Blown away. The whole bit.

Ed came on after the last track ended. He read from Derek Taylor's famous press release..."every meticulously crafted note...has been scrapped." It was exactly, perfectly, well-done. It was sad, and Ed's voice nailed the emotion perfectly. The best music in the fucking universe that never got released. This was when the idea of a finished Smile, no less with Brian playing it on stage on tour, was pure fantasy and thought to be impossible.

That was how good Ed's show was even in his later shows on 'YSP. Never forgot that...played that cassette to death and copied it for anyone interested.

WYSP also played Pet Sounds, Live In London in full...front to back, no interruptions or commercials. Imagine that...classic rock radio doing that. I know they did it because I still have those tapes too. It was the first time I heard the Live In London album, and as soon as Aren't You Glad came on, I was hooked. No, I was obsessed.

That's how good it was, Philly radio from MMR to IOQ to YSP. They respected the Beach Boys. That's why reading more stories about all of this is such a fun trip. This is the good stuff, and the memories are worth more than any amount of money.

Thanks again

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"All of us have the privilege of making music that helps and heals - to make music that makes people happier, stronger, and kinder. Don't forget: Music is God's voice." - Brian Wilson

Micheal Tozzi was a class act for sure. He was not only a good friend but a real tie die in the wool Beach Boy fanatic. We had some great times together. No one could match Ed's mellifluous delivery but Toz came closer than anyone else. I got to know him while he was at 'IOQ. He religiously played a BB cut on every damn one of his shows. I remember calling him once to see what track he played when I couldn't listen. He and Dennis became quite close and, according to Micheal, when Dennis played Philly, they'd get together. Micheal was a drummer and Dennis would actually ask him how his performance was that night (sounds like Brian, huh?). Mike would not pander to him and he'd give it to him straight, good or not so good and Denny took it in stride. I'll never forget when Micheal called me about Dennis passing away. As time went on, Micheal bought a Subway franchise in Upper Darby, Pa. and I became his biggest customer with him preparing meals for my customers. After that venture, he went to WJJZ Smooth Jazz. I always ragged on him and dared him to lock the studio door and play Pet Sounds but he did have a family to feed. What a great guy indeed.

Absolutely fantastic! Wow. I'm loving hearing all of this. Too young to be there and hear these radio legends in their prime, this is awesome hearing about them.

WJJZ? Wow, haha. I remember that station. I was riding home from the Philly airport late one night and the driver had it on and was grooving to it...a "smooth" version of Take Five. I was speechless

The Pet Sounds dare - classic! He should have done it!

Reminds me of a truly great Philly radio moment. Courtesy Ed Sciaky on a Sunday night on WYSP. I know it happened because I taped it and still have the full cassette.

Ed previewed his show earlier by saying he would be playing music from the legendary "lost" Beach Boys "Smile" album on his show. Holy sh*t, I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to work or do anything that night, and made sure I had a blank cassette and my FM antenna set up just right on my receiver. Made sure I was home that night.

Sure enough, Ed briefly talked it up on the show, and he didn't just play a few tracks. Ed played almost an hour of Smile music. No commercials. No commentary. No station ID's or bumpers. Just track after track of Brian's Smile music, uninterrupted.

I remember laying in front of the speakers completely amazed. Blown away. The whole bit.

Ed came on after the last track ended. He read from Derek Taylor's famous press release..."every meticulously crafted note...has been scrapped." It was exactly, perfectly, well-done. It was sad, and Ed's voice nailed the emotion perfectly. The best music in the fucking universe that never got released. This was when the idea of a finished Smile, no less with Brian playing it on stage on tour, was pure fantasy and thought to be impossible.

That was how good Ed's show was even in his later shows on 'YSP. Never forgot that...played that cassette to death and copied it for anyone interested.

WYSP also played Pet Sounds, Live In London in full...front to back, no interruptions or commercials. Imagine that...classic rock radio doing that. I know they did it because I still have those tapes too. It was the first time I heard the Live In London album, and as soon as Aren't You Glad came on, I was hooked. No, I was obsessed.

That's how good it was, Philly radio from MMR to IOQ to YSP. They respected the Beach Boys. That's why reading more stories about all of this is such a fun trip. This is the good stuff, and the memories are worth more than any amount of money.

Ed previewed his show earlier by saying he would be playing music from the legendary "lost" Beach Boys "Smile" album on his show. Holy sh*t, I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to work or do anything that night, and made sure I had a blank cassette and my FM antenna set up just right on my receiver. Made sure I was home that night.

Sure enough, Ed briefly talked it up on the show, and he didn't just play a few tracks. Ed played almost an hour of Smile music. No commercials. No commentary. No station ID's or bumpers. Just track after track of Brian's Smile music, uninterrupted.

I remember laying in front of the speakers completely amazed. Blown away. The whole bit.

Ed came on after the last track ended. He read from Derek Taylor's famous press release..."every meticulously crafted note...has been scrapped." It was exactly, perfectly, well-done. It was sad, and Ed's voice nailed the emotion perfectly. The best music in the fucking universe that never got released. This was when the idea of a finished Smile, no less with Brian playing it on stage on tour, was pure fantasy and thought to be impossible.

What year would you say that was? Curious how early he had the Smile stuff?

Exactly, PB. Surf's Up and, yes, Sunflower had decent exposure on FM progressive radio. WMMR in Philly loved them. The jocks were music junkies and understood the importance of the band, especially Ed Sciaky (rip). Ed was a friend who made sure I got to see the boys (among other groups) whenever they were in town and actually got to even party with them a few times. Man, what a great time to be alive. The 1971 Carnegie appearance was otherworldly in it's appreciation of the band. Very few, if any catcalls, thunderous applause for the new material as well as the old. With the combination of the FM stations up and down the east coast playing their newer material and their well rehearsed shows, they could do no wrong with the exception of letting Jack eventually slip away.

Wow! Thank you for that post. Ed Sciaky...made my night reading this. Seriously, thank you. I'm smiling ear to ear and also digging out some pretty amazing audio from the dusty ol' collection.

I'll just say what OSD writes about WMMR and Philly radio, and Ed Sciaky...It's the good stuff. The really good stuff.

Some of what shapes my opinions on the Rieley era and the music/shows and what spoiled me on how good radio can be was growing up listening to Philly radio.

Without derailing too much, I'll say I grew up a little too late for Ed's original runs on powerhouse FM stations 'MMR and 'IOQ...but my formative music listening years when I really dove in headfirst included Ed's run on 94 WYSP. Ed's show "The Sunday Night Alternative". Free-form, intelligent, solid radio on Sunday nights.

For those who don't know, Ed is one of those DJ's responsible for breaking Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen among others nationwide. Ed loved their earliest releases and would play them, talk them up, and promote them - Ed had the clout as a top FM host to where others would listen to him and his recommendations. This is why Philly is still one of Billy Joel's hottest areas to play in terms of fans. Ed was spinning Captain Jack, and that song is still bigger here than in most markets.

Look up the famous photo of Bowie and Springsteen...Bowie was a Sigma Sound and wanted to play his version of one of Bruce's tunes...anyway, read it online, it's a famous photo from '74 before Bruce really broke out nationwide with Born To Run. He was still playing college gigs.

Back to the music...I know, because I have it in my files (and it's available elsewhere) some tapes of WMMR playing "Take A Load Off Your Feet" when the SU album was new. They played the Big Sur live version of WIBN just before that. Other broadcasts of WMMR feature deep cuts like "Cool Cool Water"...Yes, Virginia, those songs were played on FM radio and fans in Philly were into that period of the Beach Boys. It wasn't all shouting for oldies and heckling the band.

For fans of the bootlegs, dig out the April 1980 KTSA show at The Spectrum taped off the air from Philly's WIOQ...the conversation near the end is Ed Sciaky and Michael Tozzi. So fans have heard Ed if they've heard that boot.

Random memory...Unless my memory is that bad, I was listening to Ed Sciaky's WYSP show on my Sony Walkman on a Sunday night when the word came in that Freddie Mercury had passed away. Naturally the rest of the show was Queen...and it was heartbreaking and beautiful, and the perfect show and station to be listening to when that happened.

I wish I had experienced Ed and WMMR back in the day...only thing to do is listen to whatever tapes exist and get to taste a piece of just how fucking good it was.

Thanks again for an awesome memory. The Beach Boys did indeed have a very loyal and respectful audience in Philly, and a lot was thanks to legendary DJ's and hosts like Sciaky, Tearson, Dye, etc.

Micheal Tozzi was a class act for sure. He was not only a good friend but a real tie die in the wool Beach Boy fanatic. We had some great times together. No one could match Ed's mellifluous delivery but Toz came closer than anyone else. I got to know him while he was at 'IOQ. He religiously played a BB cut on every damn one of his shows. I remember calling him once to see what track he played when I couldn't listen. He and Dennis became quite close and, according to Micheal, when Dennis played Philly, they'd get together. Micheal was a drummer and Dennis would actually ask him how his performance was that night (sounds like Brian, huh?). Mike would not pander to him and he'd give it to him straight, good or not so good and Denny took it in stride. I'll never forget when Micheal called me about Dennis passing away. As time went on, Micheal bought a Subway franchise in Upper Darby, Pa. and I became his biggest customer with him preparing meals for my customers. After that venture, he went to WJJZ Smooth Jazz. I always ragged on him and dared him to lock the studio door and play Pet Sounds but he did have a family to feed. What a great guy indeed.

Absolutely fantastic! Wow. I'm loving hearing all of this. Too young to be there and hear these radio legends in their prime, this is awesome hearing about them.

WJJZ? Wow, haha. I remember that station. I was riding home from the Philly airport late one night and the driver had it on and was grooving to it...a "smooth" version of Take Five. I was speechless

The Pet Sounds dare - classic! He should have done it!

Reminds me of a truly great Philly radio moment. Courtesy Ed Sciaky on a Sunday night on WYSP. I know it happened because I taped it and still have the full cassette.

Ed previewed his show earlier by saying he would be playing music from the legendary "lost" Beach Boys "Smile" album on his show. Holy sh*t, I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to work or do anything that night, and made sure I had a blank cassette and my FM antenna set up just right on my receiver. Made sure I was home that night.

Sure enough, Ed briefly talked it up on the show, and he didn't just play a few tracks. Ed played almost an hour of Smile music. No commercials. No commentary. No station ID's or bumpers. Just track after track of Brian's Smile music, uninterrupted.

I remember laying in front of the speakers completely amazed. Blown away. The whole bit.

Ed came on after the last track ended. He read from Derek Taylor's famous press release..."every meticulously crafted note...has been scrapped." It was exactly, perfectly, well-done. It was sad, and Ed's voice nailed the emotion perfectly. The best music in the fucking universe that never got released. This was when the idea of a finished Smile, no less with Brian playing it on stage on tour, was pure fantasy and thought to be impossible.

That was how good Ed's show was even in his later shows on 'YSP. Never forgot that...played that cassette to death and copied it for anyone interested.

WYSP also played Pet Sounds, Live In London in full...front to back, no interruptions or commercials. Imagine that...classic rock radio doing that. I know they did it because I still have those tapes too. It was the first time I heard the Live In London album, and as soon as Aren't You Glad came on, I was hooked. No, I was obsessed.

That's how good it was, Philly radio from MMR to IOQ to YSP. They respected the Beach Boys. That's why reading more stories about all of this is such a fun trip. This is the good stuff, and the memories are worth more than any amount of money.

Thanks again

Damnit, guys, as a radio junkie I absolutely love hearing these recollections.

But I post the above statement with mixed feelings, since as I've expressed before, Mr. OSD drives me absolutely nuts with his incessant posts and sig line doing nothing but trashing "myKe luHv" or however the hell he spells it. As I've said before, many of those posts strike me as incredibly immature. And, while I've mentioned this to GF in a PM, I've never said it on the forum, but here goes - GF so often baffles me as he is responsible for some exceptionally interesting and well researched posts but unfortunately (I just had to use that word, right?) frequently finds it difficult to acknowledge contrary opinions, coupled with restating his opinion over and over again.

And Craig, you are more than welcome to rebut this, but seriously, you'll probably look better if you act as though this post is not worth your time and attention as far as a response is concerned. That is unless you'd like to post more Philly radio recollections, which I'd love to hear. Whatever the case, treat this as my opinion, not a f*cking kick in the balls.

And why am I even writing this? I don't know, as I've only consumed one Jack Daniel's on the rocks this evening, so I can't blame lauding these radio recollections on inebriation. It's gotta be because I was inspired by Jay, hopefully to help keep his comment "I have to say that this is one of the most interesting threads this board has had in years" going.

Exactly, PB. Surf's Up and, yes, Sunflower had decent exposure on FM progressive radio. WMMR in Philly loved them. The jocks were music junkies and understood the importance of the band, especially Ed Sciaky (rip). Ed was a friend who made sure I got to see the boys (among other groups) whenever they were in town and actually got to even party with them a few times. Man, what a great time to be alive. The 1971 Carnegie appearance was otherworldly in it's appreciation of the band. Very few, if any catcalls, thunderous applause for the new material as well as the old. With the combination of the FM stations up and down the east coast playing their newer material and their well rehearsed shows, they could do no wrong with the exception of letting Jack eventually slip away.

Wow! Thank you for that post. Ed Sciaky...made my night reading this. Seriously, thank you. I'm smiling ear to ear and also digging out some pretty amazing audio from the dusty ol' collection.

I'll just say what OSD writes about WMMR and Philly radio, and Ed Sciaky...It's the good stuff. The really good stuff.

Some of what shapes my opinions on the Rieley era and the music/shows and what spoiled me on how good radio can be was growing up listening to Philly radio.

Without derailing too much, I'll say I grew up a little too late for Ed's original runs on powerhouse FM stations 'MMR and 'IOQ...but my formative music listening years when I really dove in headfirst included Ed's run on 94 WYSP. Ed's show "The Sunday Night Alternative". Free-form, intelligent, solid radio on Sunday nights.

For those who don't know, Ed is one of those DJ's responsible for breaking Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen among others nationwide. Ed loved their earliest releases and would play them, talk them up, and promote them - Ed had the clout as a top FM host to where others would listen to him and his recommendations. This is why Philly is still one of Billy Joel's hottest areas to play in terms of fans. Ed was spinning Captain Jack, and that song is still bigger here than in most markets.

Look up the famous photo of Bowie and Springsteen...Bowie was a Sigma Sound and wanted to play his version of one of Bruce's tunes...anyway, read it online, it's a famous photo from '74 before Bruce really broke out nationwide with Born To Run. He was still playing college gigs.

Back to the music...I know, because I have it in my files (and it's available elsewhere) some tapes of WMMR playing "Take A Load Off Your Feet" when the SU album was new. They played the Big Sur live version of WIBN just before that. Other broadcasts of WMMR feature deep cuts like "Cool Cool Water"...Yes, Virginia, those songs were played on FM radio and fans in Philly were into that period of the Beach Boys. It wasn't all shouting for oldies and heckling the band.

For fans of the bootlegs, dig out the April 1980 KTSA show at The Spectrum taped off the air from Philly's WIOQ...the conversation near the end is Ed Sciaky and Michael Tozzi. So fans have heard Ed if they've heard that boot.

Random memory...Unless my memory is that bad, I was listening to Ed Sciaky's WYSP show on my Sony Walkman on a Sunday night when the word came in that Freddie Mercury had passed away. Naturally the rest of the show was Queen...and it was heartbreaking and beautiful, and the perfect show and station to be listening to when that happened.

I wish I had experienced Ed and WMMR back in the day...only thing to do is listen to whatever tapes exist and get to taste a piece of just how fucking good it was.

Thanks again for an awesome memory. The Beach Boys did indeed have a very loyal and respectful audience in Philly, and a lot was thanks to legendary DJ's and hosts like Sciaky, Tearson, Dye, etc.

Micheal Tozzi was a class act for sure. He was not only a good friend but a real tie die in the wool Beach Boy fanatic. We had some great times together. No one could match Ed's mellifluous delivery but Toz came closer than anyone else. I got to know him while he was at 'IOQ. He religiously played a BB cut on every damn one of his shows. I remember calling him once to see what track he played when I couldn't listen. He and Dennis became quite close and, according to Micheal, when Dennis played Philly, they'd get together. Micheal was a drummer and Dennis would actually ask him how his performance was that night (sounds like Brian, huh?). Mike would not pander to him and he'd give it to him straight, good or not so good and Denny took it in stride. I'll never forget when Micheal called me about Dennis passing away. As time went on, Micheal bought a Subway franchise in Upper Darby, Pa. and I became his biggest customer with him preparing meals for my customers. After that venture, he went to WJJZ Smooth Jazz. I always ragged on him and dared him to lock the studio door and play Pet Sounds but he did have a family to feed. What a great guy indeed.

Absolutely fantastic! Wow. I'm loving hearing all of this. Too young to be there and hear these radio legends in their prime, this is awesome hearing about them.

WJJZ? Wow, haha. I remember that station. I was riding home from the Philly airport late one night and the driver had it on and was grooving to it...a "smooth" version of Take Five. I was speechless

The Pet Sounds dare - classic! He should have done it!

Reminds me of a truly great Philly radio moment. Courtesy Ed Sciaky on a Sunday night on WYSP. I know it happened because I taped it and still have the full cassette.

Ed previewed his show earlier by saying he would be playing music from the legendary "lost" Beach Boys "Smile" album on his show. Holy sh*t, I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to work or do anything that night, and made sure I had a blank cassette and my FM antenna set up just right on my receiver. Made sure I was home that night.

Sure enough, Ed briefly talked it up on the show, and he didn't just play a few tracks. Ed played almost an hour of Smile music. No commercials. No commentary. No station ID's or bumpers. Just track after track of Brian's Smile music, uninterrupted.

I remember laying in front of the speakers completely amazed. Blown away. The whole bit.

Ed came on after the last track ended. He read from Derek Taylor's famous press release..."every meticulously crafted note...has been scrapped." It was exactly, perfectly, well-done. It was sad, and Ed's voice nailed the emotion perfectly. The best music in the fucking universe that never got released. This was when the idea of a finished Smile, no less with Brian playing it on stage on tour, was pure fantasy and thought to be impossible.

That was how good Ed's show was even in his later shows on 'YSP. Never forgot that...played that cassette to death and copied it for anyone interested.

WYSP also played Pet Sounds, Live In London in full...front to back, no interruptions or commercials. Imagine that...classic rock radio doing that. I know they did it because I still have those tapes too. It was the first time I heard the Live In London album, and as soon as Aren't You Glad came on, I was hooked. No, I was obsessed.

That's how good it was, Philly radio from MMR to IOQ to YSP. They respected the Beach Boys. That's why reading more stories about all of this is such a fun trip. This is the good stuff, and the memories are worth more than any amount of money.

Thanks again

Damnit, guys, as a radio junkie I absolutely love hearing these recollections.

But I post the above statement with mixed feelings, since as I've expressed before, Mr. OSD drives me absolutely nuts with his incessant posts and sig line doing nothing but trashing "myKe luHv" or however the hell he spells it. As I've said before, many of those posts strike me as incredibly immature. And, while I've mentioned this to GF in a PM, I've never said it on the forum, but here goes - GF so often baffles me as he is responsible for some exceptionally interesting and well researched posts but unfortunately (I just had to use that word, right?) frequently finds it difficult to acknowledge contrary opinions, coupled with restating his opinion over and over again.

And Craig, you are more than welcome to rebut this, but seriously, you'll probably look better if you act as though this post is not worth your time and attention as far as a response is concerned. That is unless you'd like to post more Philly radio recollections, which I'd love to hear. Whatever the case, treat this as my opinion, not a f*cking kick in the balls.

And why am I even writing this? I don't know, as I've only consumed one Jack Daniel's on the rocks this evening, so I can't blame lauding these radio recollections on inebriation. It's gotta be because I was inspired by Jay, hopefully to help keep his comment "I have to say that this is one of the most interesting threads this board has had in years" going.

This thread was going along so well; it was honestly one of the best here in a long time. Why bring in negativity?

Exactly, PB. Surf's Up and, yes, Sunflower had decent exposure on FM progressive radio. WMMR in Philly loved them. The jocks were music junkies and understood the importance of the band, especially Ed Sciaky (rip). Ed was a friend who made sure I got to see the boys (among other groups) whenever they were in town and actually got to even party with them a few times. Man, what a great time to be alive. The 1971 Carnegie appearance was otherworldly in it's appreciation of the band. Very few, if any catcalls, thunderous applause for the new material as well as the old. With the combination of the FM stations up and down the east coast playing their newer material and their well rehearsed shows, they could do no wrong with the exception of letting Jack eventually slip away.

Wow! Thank you for that post. Ed Sciaky...made my night reading this. Seriously, thank you. I'm smiling ear to ear and also digging out some pretty amazing audio from the dusty ol' collection.

I'll just say what OSD writes about WMMR and Philly radio, and Ed Sciaky...It's the good stuff. The really good stuff.

Some of what shapes my opinions on the Rieley era and the music/shows and what spoiled me on how good radio can be was growing up listening to Philly radio.

Without derailing too much, I'll say I grew up a little too late for Ed's original runs on powerhouse FM stations 'MMR and 'IOQ...but my formative music listening years when I really dove in headfirst included Ed's run on 94 WYSP. Ed's show "The Sunday Night Alternative". Free-form, intelligent, solid radio on Sunday nights.

For those who don't know, Ed is one of those DJ's responsible for breaking Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen among others nationwide. Ed loved their earliest releases and would play them, talk them up, and promote them - Ed had the clout as a top FM host to where others would listen to him and his recommendations. This is why Philly is still one of Billy Joel's hottest areas to play in terms of fans. Ed was spinning Captain Jack, and that song is still bigger here than in most markets.

Look up the famous photo of Bowie and Springsteen...Bowie was a Sigma Sound and wanted to play his version of one of Bruce's tunes...anyway, read it online, it's a famous photo from '74 before Bruce really broke out nationwide with Born To Run. He was still playing college gigs.

Back to the music...I know, because I have it in my files (and it's available elsewhere) some tapes of WMMR playing "Take A Load Off Your Feet" when the SU album was new. They played the Big Sur live version of WIBN just before that. Other broadcasts of WMMR feature deep cuts like "Cool Cool Water"...Yes, Virginia, those songs were played on FM radio and fans in Philly were into that period of the Beach Boys. It wasn't all shouting for oldies and heckling the band.

For fans of the bootlegs, dig out the April 1980 KTSA show at The Spectrum taped off the air from Philly's WIOQ...the conversation near the end is Ed Sciaky and Michael Tozzi. So fans have heard Ed if they've heard that boot.

Random memory...Unless my memory is that bad, I was listening to Ed Sciaky's WYSP show on my Sony Walkman on a Sunday night when the word came in that Freddie Mercury had passed away. Naturally the rest of the show was Queen...and it was heartbreaking and beautiful, and the perfect show and station to be listening to when that happened.

I wish I had experienced Ed and WMMR back in the day...only thing to do is listen to whatever tapes exist and get to taste a piece of just how fucking good it was.

Thanks again for an awesome memory. The Beach Boys did indeed have a very loyal and respectful audience in Philly, and a lot was thanks to legendary DJ's and hosts like Sciaky, Tearson, Dye, etc.

Micheal Tozzi was a class act for sure. He was not only a good friend but a real tie die in the wool Beach Boy fanatic. We had some great times together. No one could match Ed's mellifluous delivery but Toz came closer than anyone else. I got to know him while he was at 'IOQ. He religiously played a BB cut on every damn one of his shows. I remember calling him once to see what track he played when I couldn't listen. He and Dennis became quite close and, according to Micheal, when Dennis played Philly, they'd get together. Micheal was a drummer and Dennis would actually ask him how his performance was that night (sounds like Brian, huh?). Mike would not pander to him and he'd give it to him straight, good or not so good and Denny took it in stride. I'll never forget when Micheal called me about Dennis passing away. As time went on, Micheal bought a Subway franchise in Upper Darby, Pa. and I became his biggest customer with him preparing meals for my customers. After that venture, he went to WJJZ Smooth Jazz. I always ragged on him and dared him to lock the studio door and play Pet Sounds but he did have a family to feed. What a great guy indeed.

Absolutely fantastic! Wow. I'm loving hearing all of this. Too young to be there and hear these radio legends in their prime, this is awesome hearing about them.

WJJZ? Wow, haha. I remember that station. I was riding home from the Philly airport late one night and the driver had it on and was grooving to it...a "smooth" version of Take Five. I was speechless

The Pet Sounds dare - classic! He should have done it!

Reminds me of a truly great Philly radio moment. Courtesy Ed Sciaky on a Sunday night on WYSP. I know it happened because I taped it and still have the full cassette.

Ed previewed his show earlier by saying he would be playing music from the legendary "lost" Beach Boys "Smile" album on his show. Holy sh*t, I couldn't believe it. I didn't have to work or do anything that night, and made sure I had a blank cassette and my FM antenna set up just right on my receiver. Made sure I was home that night.

Sure enough, Ed briefly talked it up on the show, and he didn't just play a few tracks. Ed played almost an hour of Smile music. No commercials. No commentary. No station ID's or bumpers. Just track after track of Brian's Smile music, uninterrupted.

I remember laying in front of the speakers completely amazed. Blown away. The whole bit.

Ed came on after the last track ended. He read from Derek Taylor's famous press release..."every meticulously crafted note...has been scrapped." It was exactly, perfectly, well-done. It was sad, and Ed's voice nailed the emotion perfectly. The best music in the fucking universe that never got released. This was when the idea of a finished Smile, no less with Brian playing it on stage on tour, was pure fantasy and thought to be impossible.

That was how good Ed's show was even in his later shows on 'YSP. Never forgot that...played that cassette to death and copied it for anyone interested.

WYSP also played Pet Sounds, Live In London in full...front to back, no interruptions or commercials. Imagine that...classic rock radio doing that. I know they did it because I still have those tapes too. It was the first time I heard the Live In London album, and as soon as Aren't You Glad came on, I was hooked. No, I was obsessed.

That's how good it was, Philly radio from MMR to IOQ to YSP. They respected the Beach Boys. That's why reading more stories about all of this is such a fun trip. This is the good stuff, and the memories are worth more than any amount of money.

Thanks again

Damnit, guys, as a radio junkie I absolutely love hearing these recollections.

But I post the above statement with mixed feelings, since as I've expressed before, Mr. OSD drives me absolutely nuts with his incessant posts and sig line doing nothing but trashing "myKe luHv" or however the hell he spells it. As I've said before, many of those posts strike me as incredibly immature. And, while I've mentioned this to GF in a PM, I've never said it on the forum, but here goes - GF so often baffles me as he is responsible for some exceptionally interesting and well researched posts but unfortunately (I just had to use that word, right?) frequently finds it difficult to acknowledge contrary opinions, coupled with restating his opinion over and over again.

And Craig, you are more than welcome to rebut this, but seriously, you'll probably look better if you act as though this post is not worth your time and attention as far as a response is concerned. That is unless you'd like to post more Philly radio recollections, which I'd love to hear. Whatever the case, treat this as my opinion, not a f*cking kick in the balls.

And why am I even writing this? I don't know, as I've only consumed one Jack Daniel's on the rocks this evening, so I can't blame lauding these radio recollections on inebriation. It's gotta be because I was inspired by Jay, hopefully to help keep his comment "I have to say that this is one of the most interesting threads this board has had in years" going.

This thread was going along so well; it was honestly one of the best here in a long time. Why bring in negativity?

I kind of get his point. After reading the In Concert book, it really opened my eyes to how bad the group had it at a pivotal point in their history. You really can't downplay how bad they had it for a while. They really did make a serious effort effort to change their style. As much as I loved the book, I have to admit that it paints a rather tragic story of a band that made a brave effort, only to resign to the inevitable. I think I'm dangerously close to talking about the book in a negative way(something that I would never intentionally do), so I'll end it here.

I also see your point as well. I agree that a thread as great as this needs to have the least amount of negative energy possible.

Edit: Perhaps I need to learn to read every post before I spout nonsense and get egg on my face.

This thread was going along so well; it was honestly one of the best here in a long time. Why bring in negativity?

I tried to make my post as balanced as possible, but it was essentially in reaction to some interesting and well stated non-negative posts from the guy who has consistently been responsible for spewing out negativity on this board for years, with an ultra-negative sig line, “myKe luHv, the most hated, embarrassing clown the world of music has ever witnessed.” Hell, we all know Mr. Love is far from perfect, but that poster’s non-stop negativity has been irritating me for years, so I guess I had to make mention of something positive he posted that I found to be an interesting read, with GF part of that conversation.

In retrospect it may have been best to leave GF out of my reply, as he is, as stated, responsible for some highly interesting and well researched posts, but as many on this board are aware he is often considered a controversial figure in BB land, frequently arguing his point of view incessantly with a “my way or the highway” frame of mind, along with appearing to be hyper-sensitive to criticism. So I was attempting to offer some unsolicited constructive criticism.

And I’m more than open to constructive criticism myself, in fact one of my recent posts contains the line, “Don’t screw up like I did.”

Yeah, that's one of the disadvantages of a message board, as opposed to discussing stuff in person over a beer. For example, now rereading my post of last night I see how my statement "unfortunately (I just had to use that word, right?)" could be misconstrued as being confrontational, which was not my intent at all, as it was written with levity in mind, along the lines of my satirical lyrics for "While the Girls Sigh."